Australia Day 5 - Alice Springs

Frank and I were ready for breakfast at 6am, unfortunately the hotel restaurant didn’t open until 6:30 so we sat and watched the rain (again, more rain in the outback!), ate our breakfast (which we were disappointed to find out was the same fare as the previous hotel in Cairns), and picked up our bikes.  We had about a 7km ride to the Simpson’s Gap trail which was 16km to the gap.  As we rode out of town I was struck by the idea that Alice Springs could easily have been any reservation town in the American Southwest.  The Aboriginal people in Australia have been treated much like our Native Americans, a culture which can’t live like it used to but doesn’t live after the manner of its subjugators either, it lives somewhere in the middle to the detriment of both the memory of what it was and the what they could now be.  Sad.   It was overcast and rainy the whole way out there which was awesome; it was pleasantly cool and the flies were minimal.  About every 2km there were informational signs to read and rest at.  The gap was picturesque as the sun was just peeking out from behind the clouds and we started the return trip.  I thought up and put on some sunscreen on my arms for the ride back but totally neglected my legs, a mistake I paid for the entire next week.  That sun is brutal and my legs were really red!  The whole trip took us about 4 hours and even in spite of the sunburn, was totally worth it! 

After a delicious carb loaded lunch we met up with the rest of our group for a bus tour of Alice Springs.  We saw the Royal Flying Doctor’s museum, the ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Memorial (which provided a great view of where we’d been earlier that day,  the School of the Air, and the Old Telegraph Station.  That night we dined on local game (kangaroo steak, camel sausage, crocodile bites, and barramundi filets) at the hotel restaurant where we again watched the rain come down.  A half a bottle of aloe vera gel and an Aleve before bed – I didn’t move until morning!

Australia Day 4 - Travel to Alice Springs

Frank and I took in another run along the Cairns Esplanade, enjoyed breakfast, and then headed to the airport with the rest of our group for the flight into the Outback.  What an amazing difference stepping off the plane.  We went from thick dense humidity to dry creosote scented air, I loved it.  We checked into our hotel in Alice Springs, which offered an hour of free WiFi, (WooHoo!) and then Frank and I set out to explore a little and figure out what we were going to do tomorrow morning while the rest of our group was at an optional excursion we opted out of.  Alice Springs is a town of about 30,000 people in the Outback of Australia and is the major hub for people exploring Uluru and the interior.  That basically means it is a small town and there really isn’t too much to do there unless you are really willing to look.  We went over to the tourist information building and told them we needed an activity to partake in the next day.  They suggested a site seeing tour of the town.  Sounds great except that our whole group was engaged in that very activity in the afternoon of the next day.  We needed something to do from about breakfast until 2pm.  We decided to rent bikes and see about taking them out to Simpson’s Gap (about 50km round trip).  After overcoming the English language barrier to discover that a sealed bike path means it is paved we figured we could tackle Simpson’s Gap the next day.  We squared everything with the rental company and then walked in the rain (yes, rain in the outback) around the shopping area of the town.  Overcame another language barrier but not in time to keep from looking foolish in front of the clerk who wanted me to “log in” my necklace to be repaired.  I finally figured out she wanted  me to put in on the books with them and leave it there overnight.  Sorry, couldn’t do that as our stay there would be short.  We found a bookstore and got a Waltzing Matilda book for the girls and discovered a whole range of Usborn “that’s not my…” books I’d never seen before.  I was tempted to buy them but opted to take a picture instead and then search for them later on Amazon.  That night we ate at Bojangles, a local pub with the rest of our group.  My pub burger had a fried egg on top of the meat, it was surprisingly tasty!

Australia Day 3 - Kuranda Rainforest Village

Frank and I opted to let our bodies rest this morning and not go running in preparation for the tour of our second World Heritage Listed site in as many days.  After a short bus ride to a cozy little Queensland town just up the road from Cairns, we boarded the Kuranda Scenic Railway and began an hour long chug up the mountain following the path laid out by workers in the 1890s to transport gold from the mountain tops to the sea.    The ride was quant and filled with nice waterfalls and scenic vistas; the brief histories given by the narrator were hard to hear over the clacking of the wheels and I missed hearing them because I am sure they were interesting.  At length, we reached the village of Kuranda.  I was excited about this particular excursion because it was a unanimous choice among the Australian officers Frank served with in Kabul for what they thought we should definitely do while in Australia.  The rainforest was beautiful, the meat pies were delicious (Frank had steak, I had lamb), and the views from the Skyrail on the way back down the mountain were mesmerizing.  However, the town of Kuranda was little more than touristy stores filled with souvenirs and trashy t-shirts.   As we were wondering around wondering how we were going to fill the 4 hours of free time we’d been given in a town where we saw everything meaningful in a 20 minute walk, we happened upon the tourism center (or centre as they would write it).  Outside the building there was a map with various walks we could take through the rainforest.  Armed with our bug spray and rain jackets we headed into the trees.  Actually it was all a  paved (or semi-paved, where they left out a few 5ft chunks here and there for us to walk on the dirt) trail and it took us a little over an hour.  Needless to say, we were the only members of our group mostly filled with geriatrics, who attempted this walk through the rainforest.  I don’t know what the rest of them did up there in that little town surrounded by cheap trinkets and over-priced change purses made of kangaroo hide.   

Meat Pies!

After our walk we took the SkyRail back town to the little town whose name I can’t remember outside of Cairns and that whole experience was awesome and took us well over an hour.  There were 2 different lookout points, each with a scenic walk, and although the second opportunity was out of reach due to fog, we latched on to a very informative and entertaining briefing by a park ranger who taught us about the wildlife in the rainforest, the most fascinating of which was the Southern Cassowary, an emu looking bird but with a blue head and a large helmet that protects him from falling fruit.  Cross him and he could disembowel you with a few slashes of his powerful claw toes!  It was back to Cairns for dinner and a stroll around town before a little packing in preparation for our next day.  

Australia Day 2 - Great Barrier Reef

Early in the morning we boarded a catamaran and bounced our way about an hour and half into the Coral Sea in search of the world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef.  The seas were a bit choppy and many of the passengers found the journey less than thrilling, spending most of their time below decks in the head.  Frank and I were spared the horrible queasiness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone and were ready to go on our guided snorkel tour as soon as we got to the pontoon boat that this particular company leaves out on their area of the reef.  The tour with a marine biologist guide lasted about 25 minutes and was incredibly informative.  With him as our passport, we were allowed to go outside the designated swimming area in search of turtles (we saw 2), giants clams (again, 2), sharks (none, thank God), clown fish like Nemo (1) (incidentally when advertising the paid snorkeling tour, the guide must have mentioned “a clown fish like Nemo” a half dozen times in hopes of getting stupid Americans whose only knowledge of the ocean comes from a Disney movie to sign up for his tour).  

After tour was over, Frank and I spent about another half hour or more in the water taking pictures of the coral and fish that we saw.  It was an amazing sight.  The colors were vibrant despite the overcast day and lack of sunshine.    After we were done swimming we had some lunch, which neither smelled or looked appetizing but it was nourishment.  We went in to both the semi-submerged submarine and the glass bottom both for another view of the coral.  Both of these were interesting but couldn’t compare with the experience of swimming through the coral on your own.  All total we were at the reef for 4 hours and it started to rain as we were leaving so I was glad it was time to go. 
The ride home was much less eventful for the motion sickness prone passengers.    While we ate dinner that night our pictures were downloaded and we browsed through them using the free WiFi at McDonald’s.  Australian hotels aren’t quite up on the free WiFi yet so it was close to $35/day for internet in our rooms at each hotel we stayed at!  Walking down to McDonald’s for a $1 sundae was a much better deal.  We wondered around the city looking for something we could turn into a Christmas ornament and found in the process that non-eating and non-souvenir establishments close around 5:30pm in Australia.  After our run that morning in the stifling humidity, over an hour of swimming, and a serious walk around the town, I was ready for my cozy bed!

Australia Day 1 - Arrival in Cairns

We left Little Rock on the 23^rd of February.  At length, after over 24 hours of travel and a day lost over the International Date Line, we arrived in Brisbane, Australia on the 25^th of February and then took a short hop to Cairns (pronounced Kaans).   We met the rest of our tour group (about 35 of us total) and our tour guide, a Melbournian named Luke.  We had committed to not sleeping until that night so a nap was out of the question and upon our arrival we went to explore the Esplanade, Cairns’ main drag with the ocean on one side and the town on the other.  After a nice long walk in the sultry heat, we opted for a dip in the hotel pool and had time for a quick shower and change before our group dinner with the rest of our fellow travelers.  After dinner we headed into town to rent an underwater camera for our adventure the next day.

Faith August 2 Years and 10 Months

I can't believe Faith is almost 3!  Where has the time gone?? 

Sleeping:
This is kind of a "skill" topic but because it effects her sleep I'll put it here.  On January 31st she asked to wear panties to bed and I told her okay.  The next morning she woke up with dry panties and a huge smile of accomplishment on her face.  I am so proud of her.  She has only had 1 accident at night at the writing of this post an I couldn't be prouder of her.  She calls for me when she needs to go in the middle of the night and always goes right back to sleep.  Her naps are getting a little better in that she doesn't have as many days during the week of not sleeping.  I am glad I pushed through that phase because I love naptime :)
Eating:
She is getting better about using her fork.  I think our praise of Rebekah's fork use has spurred her desire for recognition in this as well.  I am good with that!  She knows she has to eat 2 bites of everything on her plate because she is 2 and that soon she will have to eat 3!  She did announce one day that Rebekah would eat one bit of something, she would eat two, and I would eat thirty-two!  I think I told her my age one time, several months ago and she remembered.  I don't think I'll ever mention my weight.
Playing:Faith is a great sharer and she loves playing with Rebekah.  Their sister playtime continues to go really well.  She also loves solo playtime and practically runs into her room when it is time.  I have started having them both help me with some dinner preparations after naptime and Faith really enjoys helping with this.  It is usually something easy like buttering bread or measuring out ingredients and I try to stay away from the stove (especially with Rebekah) but it has been a great addition to our routine. 
Skills:
Faith has done a lot in the skills department this month.  After seeing that her friend Mackenzie (2 months older) could go potty without any help, Faith decided she was also up to this task and she is!  We started toddler gymnastics class as well this month and Faith LOVES it.  Her friend Mackenzie also goes and I must brag that they are the most well behaved and attentive little kids in the class.  Faith's new love is doing somersaults (which inspires Rebekah to try as well although hers are just resting her head on the ground whereas Faith actually completes the roll).  The class also has the kids hanging on the uneven bars, jumping on the trampoline, as well as some floor exercises.  We go once a week for 45 minutes and it has been a great addition to our routine.  Faith is also learning to zipper her own jacket and can successfully put it on as well in the most creative way which Sabrina taught us.  Everyone marvels at it.  She comes up to the coat at the hood (laying it inside facing up) and puts her arms in the holes and then flips it over her head.  It works great everytime.  Faith's other huge accomplishment this month has been learning her number by site.  When we were at the Wonder Place during Daddy's R&R I found a number floor puzzle on clearance and decided it might be fun.  Whoa!  Faith loves it.  She wants to play with it all the time.  She is really motivated to learn her numbers and now points them out whenever she sees them, including our house number which she told me the other day.  I am so proud of her!

Rebekah Joy - 16 Months

Rebekah loves babies, which for her is anyone younger than her sister, even if they happen to be older than her.  She loves to say baby, touch another "baby" - she just loves babies.  She loves holding her baby dolls and especially likes giving Faith's dolly to her.  Her other love is shoes!  I think it upsets her when I put her shoes on for her without first letting her try!  She also LOVES being praised; she lives for it!  She is still wearing 12 month clothes and is about to increase to size 3 shoes.  She has 4 teeth on the top and 2 still on the bottom.  I think there is at least one more coming in on the top.
Eating:
She still loves to eat and now when she knows a meal is about to be served she walks over to her chair and says "Eeeee, Eeeee"  She loves using her fork and spoon and it has make meal time more of a challenge in someways (slower) but more fun as well, watching her learn new skills. 
Sleeping:
We have completely dropped the first nap during this month and now she goes down at about 1:15 and sleeps until at least 3:30 but sometimes up to an hour longer.  This is the cold season so we've been battling several occurrences of the common cold and that does tend to interrupt sleep occasionally but for the most part she does really well here. 
Play:
I have switched her to room time and we've had some regression with solo play as far as going back to crying the entire time.  I think I am going to have to correct that next month!  I have started including her in craft time in preparation for starting my teaching day in our home school pre-school (working with Sabrina).  She sits in the high chair that Faith used to occupy and she really enjoys getting to be part of the action.  Grandma and Grandpa got the girls a toddler couch for Christmas (given at Frank's welcome home party) and they both love it.  Rebekah especially loves having something her size to sit on.  When playing with me, she has started brushing my hair off my face (even if it isn't in my face), mimicking when I do it to her as I am training her hair to go to one side of her forehead. 
Skills:
She is learning to walk backwards and really enjoys that.  She has added the word "blanket" to her vocabulary and "Dada" which technically she said before Frank's arrival but now it is her favorite word!  If he leaves the room she asks "Dada??"  It is super cute how much she loves him.  She has also started signing "thank you" and "potty".  She goes potty on the potty usually before bath and if we can catch BMs she'll do her business there as well.  She has started helping with some dinner prep and setting the table, both activities she really enjoys.  I just love this age because they are so eager to be good helpers. 
Our Schedule:
0800 - Wake up, get dressed, have breakfast
0900 - Bible story, craft, worship time
1000 - Outside / Errands
1130 - Sibling play
1200 - Lunch, chore
1315 - Nap time
1600 - Mommy time until Faith wakes up, then snack, dinner prep
1700 - Solo play
1800 - Dinner